Tuesday, October 29, 2013

As I entered a home for sale yesterday and noticed the multicolored walls I thought to myself...Wow, so colorful!

Personalizing is part of living!

Your surroundings and possessions represent who you are as a person.

This includes your clothes, transportation and your home.

Still when the time comes to sell become "no one."

Lose your identity.

What should a seller do to prepare a home for selling? There are lots of components to preparation but one of the most critical involves presentation including neutral colors and removing clutter.

That highly personalized paint is best if covered with something in a neutral, light hue. All those degrees on the wall, the pictures everywhere, the items on display should be minimized. You are selling your home not you. Show your home, not your everything!

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Summer Lakes in Viera (Rockledge, Florida zip code 32955) is an
exclusive gated community featuring executive homes (3,000- 8,000 sq.ft.
under air) with tremendous appeal to the most discriminating executive buyer. These homes all the amenities one would expect in a custom built
feature rich dwelling from the tile roof to the front door to the pool deck and summer kitchen!

There was a time when most of the homes for sale in Summer Lakes in Viera, Florida were "distressed sales."

It looks like Summer Lakes in Viera has survived the downturn. All four of the current active homes for sale in Summer Lakes are standard sales.

These homes for sale in Summer Lakes are priced from $899,900 to $1,290,000 (all but one are above a million dollars).

Of the seven sales in 2013 (as reported in the Brevard MLS system) three were distressed sales and four were standard fair market sales.

Homes selling in Summer Lakes during the past six months included:

4440 Chiming Lane - a 4,013 sq ft (foreclosure) four bedroom four bath three car garage pool home sold for $700,000 in June 2013.

4410 Chiming Lane - a 5,339 sq ft (standard sale) four bedroom five bath four car garage plus pool home sold for $1,205,000 in August 2013.

3143 Bellwind Circle - a 5,067 sq ft (standard sale) four bedroom five bath three car garage pool home sold for $1,165,000 in April 2013.

3203 Bellwind Circle - A foreclosure with four bedrooms four and a half baths with three car garage pool home sold for $870,000 in September 2013.

For information on executive homes for sale in Viera, Florida, including Summer Lakes and Wyndham at Duran, call me at 321-693-3850 or send me an email.

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

There are times when cash is the preferred method to purchase a home. Sometimes, as in the case of a property in poor condition, it is the only option.

But in those cases where cash is not the only option, cash buyers need to remember this rule.

Cash
does talk but it does not always talk louder than a better offer that has financing.

Cash offers really only have one advantage over an offer with a prospective mortgage - no appraisal contingency. And some cash offers may still have an appraisal contingency just to assure the buyer the property is worth what they are going to pay.

Sellers do get excited about a cash offer if it is reasonable!

Still sellers should consider this - a buyer who is obtaining a mortgage should not be considered less desirable than a cash buyer.

I have worked with buyers who could have paid cash but instead obtained a mortgage. The decision to have a mortgage or not is between the buyer and their bank or financial adviser. A mortgage does not mean the buyer does not have the means.

The best advice I can give sellers - evaluate every offer as a whole, not just the offer price.

Sunday, October 20, 2013

The little rascal on the right is my Boston Terrier, Diesel Dog. He likes to play - all the time! While tossing around tennis balls I decided to throw two at the same time and see which one he would select.

They both look the same on the outside. They have the same characteristics. When tossed they were in the same area. Which would he choose?

Many of the homes look very similar. While there are custom homes and semi custom homes, many are cookie cutter homes. I have never had a customer ask me which one I would choose although they have asked which area is "best" (avoid this potential trap).

Decisions are always made by the buyer (seller).

So, how do buyers choose between equally nice properties? Sure, price, condition, neighborhood (location), and other characteristics are important but sometimes I think it is the "intangibles!"

It really is not which house in Viera, Florida my client chooses but the fact they choose one!

Saturday, October 19, 2013

When a customer calls a real estate agent there is usually very little doubt what they are seeking. Of course identifying the specifics of the need often requires some very specific questioning. Why do real state agents ask so many questions?

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

I have never been a real fan of statistics. I learned a long time ago to never take statistics at face value.

In the real estate business we often use statistics to give a "state of the market" presentation to prospective buyers and sellers. Some of the statistics used include:

Sale to List Ratio

Average Days on the Market/Cumulative Days on
the Market

Median List Price/Average List Price

Median Selling Price/Average Selling Price

Absorption Rate

Very often the data is used to provide a picture of where the market is today and the trendsby showing the current month vs. the same month last year (or five years). Make sure you understand the data's source.

For example, below is a depiction of residential trends in Viera, Florida (specifically the area west of I-95) through September 2013 as reported in the Brevard MLS system on October 15, 2013..

Statistics are meant to either impress, distress or inform. If you have questions regarding residential real estate in Brevard County, Florida, feel free to ask me. Considering selling? Ask about a free market analysis.

Monday, October 14, 2013

Job transfers usually involve at least one house hunting trip to the new area. These trips, while exciting, can be hectic as they often only last from a few days to perhaps a week at the most.

So what should one do first when transferring to a new area in the not too distant future?
First of all, whether you are going to buy or rent, touching base with a local knowledgeable real estate agent should be your first step.

A local real estate agent should be able to provide answers to your many questions, email links and information about the area and then send you some listings to provide you an idea about the local real estate prices (sales and/or rentals).

And when you are ready to take your house hunting trip to Florida, plan ahead. Let your real estate agent know in advance. You and your agent can put together a plan of action before you arrive in your new area.

I have had a few cases through the years where out of town folks just arrive unannounced only to find I am already committed to other clients. Still I was able to help them by referring them to a colleague but lost in all this was the rapport already established and, more importantly, the understanding of their needs and wants.

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Heritage Isle is the premier 55+ gated community in Viera, Florida. The above market report was compiled on October 2, 2013 from sales reported in the Brevard Multiple Listing Service (MLS).

To put the Heritage Isle in Viera real estate market in a nutshell one only needs two sentences.

Fair market (standard) sales is the norm.

If you want to buy don't hesitate to make a move when you find what you like.

As October 2013 begins there are twenty two active listings in Viera's premier 55+ community of Heritage Isle. Of these active listings there are nineteen single family detached
homes for sale.

List prices for these single family detached homes range from $189,900 (a 3 bedroom/2 bath/2 car garage with a little more than 1,700 sq.ft.) to $418,550 (a 4/3/3 with a private pool with more than 2,500 sq. ft.).

Of the single family listings
there was only one foreclosure and a single short sale. Fair market sales is the rule when it comes to Heritage Isle homes for sale.

Homes selling at Heritage Isle during September 2013 included:

7100 Ralston St: An 1,848 sq ft half duplex with three bedrooms two baths and a two car garage sold for $230,000 (on the market for 25 days).

6677 Sutro Heights Lane: A 2008 built four bedroom two bath two car garage single family detached home with 1,978 sq ft under sir sold for $260,000 (on the market for 6 days).

7107 Broderick Drive: A 2005 built three bedroom two bath two car garage 2,032 sq. ft.home sold for $222,500 (on the market 9 days).

2220 Camberly Circle: A 1,407 sq ft two bedroom two bath villa (patio style home) sold for $125,000. This was a short sale.

For information on buying a home in Viera's 55+ communities of Heritage Isle, Grand Isle and Indian River colony Club (IRCC), send me an email or call direct 321-693-3850.